1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to game boards, specifically collapsible, stiff game boards.
2. Description of Prior Art
People whose hobby is playing simulations or games are commonly referred to as gamers. Gamers have a huge variety of serious adult games to choose from, and a large number seem to devote themselves to train games where the common object is the construction of railroads. The gamers are supplied with a large map of a geographic area, used as the game board, within which they will build their railroads. As the gamers build their railroads, they must be able to conveniently mark their trackage on this game board. The game board should easily accept marking with an inexpensive crayon without bunching up, so the game board should be stiff or rigid. They must also be able to easily erase their markings at the end of the game. A game board comprising a map printed on paper and laminated in 1.2 mm (0.05") clear plastic is ideal.
When gamers congregate they want to, and usually do, bring their games with them. The vast majority of these games have the same form, approximately the size of a large book, 22.9 cm.times.30.5cm.times.5 cm (9".times.12".times.2"). This standardized shape offers the gamers the ease of portability they desire. The game board map is invariably larger than 22.9 cm.times.30.5 cm (9".times.12"), so the map should fold or collapse in both axes. Stiff plastic lamination will eventually crack if subjected to repeated fold/unfold operations, ruining the utility of a stiff plastic laminated paper game board.
As consumers, gamers are cost-conscious and prefer inexpensive games. Besides the cost to manufacture, shipping costs impact the gamer's cost of the game, so games of light weight are very beneficial. Among the avid railroad construction gamers, the apparent inability to create an inexpensive, repeatably markable/erasable, stiff, lightweight, two-axis collapsible plastic or plastic-laminated paper game board is known as "the game board problem".
To the best of my knowledge, the first of this type of railroad construction game to be manufactured in any quantity was "Rails through the Rockies" by Adventure Games in 1981. The game board was a very thin printed plastic the thickness of paper, which could be folded up to fit in the game's standard size box. While this met some of the criteria for a useful game board, its lack of rigidity made marking and erasing track difficult. This game board had the additional problem of being expensive to manufacture.
The next railroad construction game, introduced in 1984 by Mayfair Games, was "Empire Builder". This game tried another approach to the game board problem. The map was printed on paper, laminated in plastic, glued to a conventional cardboard game board, and then the conventional gameboard was cut up into an interlocking jigsaw pattern in order to fit in the standard size box. While this solved the aforementioned rigidity problem, this game board was both heavy and expensive to produce.
In 1985, Games Workshop attempted yet another approach to the game board problem when they manufactured "Railway Rivais". The map was printed on paper, glued to a conventional multi-axis multi-fold cardboard game board, and then laminated with a super thin plastic. While this game board solved most of the problems, it was too heavy, too expensive, and after repeated fold/unfold operations the super thin plastic would crack and peel away from the map, especially at the intersections of the folds. This made the game board unerasable and therefore useless.
Mayfair Games tried yet another approach to the game board problem in 1990 with the production of "Eurorails". The map was printed on paper, laminated in plastic, and cut up into thirds with two parallel cuts. These three pieces were then mounted to a conventional two parallel axis folding game board, with the folds located at the cuts such that the game board folded away from the plastic laminate. This method solved some of the game board problem, specifically rigidity and prolonged markability/erasability, but sacrificed other important elements. The game board is heavy and expensive. Worst of all, it can not fit into a standard sized box. The gamers strenuously object to the 25.4 cm.times.48.3 cm.times.6.4 cm (10".times.19".times.2.5") box in which the game is packaged.
In 1992, Mayfair Games made their third attempt to address the game board problem with the simultaneous introduction of their two most recent games, "North American Rails" and "Nippon Rails". The map is printed on paper laminated in plastic. Acknowledging an inability to collapse the plastic laminate in two axes, the game board is rolled up and the game packaged and sold in a 7.6 cm diameter.times.45.7 cm long (3" diameter.times.18" long) tube. The tremendous dislike the gamers have for this tube packaging is small compared to the ire it has also now evoked in the distributors and retailers who have to stock and ship this awkward shape.
None of the aforementioned five different attempts, three of them by a single manufacturer, has resulted in a complete, satisfactory solution to the game board problem. My invention solves the game board problem by providing an inexpensive, easy to manufacture, stiff, two-axis collapsible, repeatably markable/erasable, lightweight game board.